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• Birmingham Botanical Gardens Toshinan Open House

  • Start
    20 Oct 2019
  •  
    10:00 AM
  • End
    23 Oct 2019
  •  
    2:00 PM
  • Location
    2612 Lane Park Rd, Birmingham, AL 35223

  Toshinan (Teahouse) Open House Experience a traditional Japanese tea ceremony at the Gardens Sunday, October 20 Monday, October 21 Tuesday, October 22

  TEAHOUSE WILL BE OPEN AND TEA SERVED 10 A.M.–2 P.M. ON THESE THREE SPECIAL DATES. Japanese Garden Birmingham Botanical Gardens

  
  

  Join us for this special chance to explore Birmingham Botanical Gardens' Toshinan, a 16th-century, Sukiya-style teahouse made from materials brought from Japan and built using traditional tools and techniques. Fewer than a dozen such structures exist in the United States, and none is finer than the Gardens' own.

  
  

  Its authenticity makes Toshinan the perfect setting to experience a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, and the Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens is delighted to invite you to do just that during your choice of three special open houses. Enjoy tea as you learn more about this artistic and cultural gem and take in the wonders of the Japanese Garden.

  Officially opened by the Japanese Ambassador to the United States in 1967, the 7.5-acre Japanese Garden is a collection of gardens built in the Japanese style and filled with traditional architectural and garden elements.

  LEARN MORE ABOUT THE JAPANESE GARDEN

  **Please note that this is not a JASA event. 

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• UAB Jemison Lecture Series - Dr. Yukio Watanabe

  • When
    28 Oct 2019
  •  
    5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
  • Location
    University of Alabama at Birmingham UH 2100

  The University of Alabama at Birmingham College of Arts and Sciences Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures UAB Jemison Lecture Series:

  Dr. Yukiko Watanabe

  Center for Teaching & Learning – University of California, Berkeley Monday October 28, 2019 – 5:00-6:00 PM, UH2100

  
  

  Design Decisions: Creating A Proactive Assessment Culture

  Current university accountability and accreditation systems require second/foreign language programs to engage in assessment of program-level outcomes, though often such activities are seen as daunting and bureaucratic. How can departments build an assessment system that is meaningful and useful to faculty and students, and develop a proactive assessment culture? In order to advance useful outcomes assessment practices, empirical observation is needed to examine the lived realities of what works, what does not, and what factors impact sustainable, educative, and systematic outcomes assessment. This talk will highlight recent research on assessment practices in U.S. college second/foreign language programs and suggest some principles that can guide your assessment process and design decisions.

  
  

  Yukiko Watanabe is a senior assessment and evaluation consultant at the Center for Teaching and Learning, University of California, Berkeley. She cultivates assessment and program evaluation capacity, culture, practices, and policies across academic departments. She has consulted on numerous program evaluation and outcomes assessment projects in domestic and international universities, including college foreign language programs in the U.S., library information literacy programs in Japan, and online graduate programs. Her research on evaluation and assessment culminated as an edited book in 2009: “Toward useful program evaluation in college foreign language education” (National Foreign Language Resource Center, University of Hawaii). Her current research focuses on (a) evaluation theory and assessment practices in higher education, (b) assessment capacity building and competency articulation, and (c) organizational learning around pedagogy in academic departments. She holds a PhD in Second Language Studies from the University of Hawaii at Manoa with emphasis in foreign language assessment, measurement, and program evaluation. This event is free and open to the public Sponsored by the Jemison Visiting Professorship in the Humanities

  
  

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• Onigiri Action: Make Rice Balls!

  • When
    10 Nov 2019
  •  
    12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
  • Location
    2081 Columbiana Road Birmingham, AL 35216
  • Spaces left
    18

  Register

  Join us at JASA HQ in Birmingham and learn how to make onigiri (おにぎり)! You’ll make various types of Japanese rice balls, learn about Japanese culture, and meet some new friends in the process.
  

  **Stop by any time between 12pm and 4pm on November 10! Please note that the event will not last 4 hours and is open-house style.**
  

  This event benefits TABLE FOR TWO USA’s #Onigiri Action Campaign! Each photo of a rice ball posted to their website will provide five meals to children in need.

  This is a family friendly event.

  JASA Members enter for free (and skip the line)! Reserve your spot on our website with Members-Only registration. Not sure if you're a member? Check if your company is on our list of corporate members or write us at executivedirector@jasaweb.org!

  **Non-members should register with a donation here after 10/17.

  Find more about #OnigiriAction at: usa.tablefor2.org/onigiri-action.

  
  

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• November Kayoubikai

  • When
    12 Nov 2019
  •  
    6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
  • Location
    Samurai Japan : 700 Montgomery Hwy Vestavia Hills, AL 35216

  Register

  *RSVP REQUIRED*
  
  Join us for this month's Kayoubikai! We are looking forward to seeing you again at Samurai Japan in Vestavia Hills at 6:30pm.
  

  Samurai Japan : 700 Montgomery Hwy Vestavia Hills, AL 35216

  6:30 pm to 8:30 pm Tuesday, November 12, 2019

  Held on the second Tuesday of every month, Kayoubikai (or "Tuesday gathering") is an opportunity to meet new friends with similar interests, practice Japanese, and stay connected with other members of the JASA community. While membership is not mandatory to attend the event, we encourage registering for individual membership to support JASA  and stay involved with our events! We meet at 6:30pm at a local Japanese restaurant. We change locations every two months to explore new places and keep things exciting!
  Our meetings thus far have been held in Birmingham, but we would love to expand to other cities! If you would like us to host a Kayoubikai in your area, please contact us at executivedirector@jasaweb.org.
  Please RSVP in advance. There is no cost for registration, but each guest will be responsible for their own ticket at the end of the meal. 
  

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